Collapsible wardrobe and dresser



J. JELENC.

GOLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE AND DRESSER.

APPLICATION man MAY1,'I919.

1,372,229. 7 Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS--SHEET I.

INVENTOR r v 3 QR ATTORNEYS WIT N ESS J. JELENC.

COLLAE SIBLE WARDROBE AND DRESSER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1. 1919.

15372229. Patented Mar. 22, 1921. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JELENG, OF PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OFONE-I-IALF TO MARTIN JELENC, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN COLLAPS IBLE WARDROBE AND DRESSER,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

Application filed May 1, 1919. Serial No. 293,931.

that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My present invention pertains to new and useful improvements in comblned wardrobes and dressers, particularly those of the collapsible type which can be reduced to a relatively small size for transportation or storage.

The principal object of this invention is to trated in my U. S. Patent No. 1,276,072 granted August 20, 1918.

Specifically the improvements consist of the addition of a chest of drawers in the nature of a dresser, and in one form the arrangement of the wardrobe or cabinet doors to completely close the front of said dresser and prevent access thereto; means for strengthening the rear closure structure of the wardrobe or cabinet and to increase the rigidity of the structure when set-up position is also contemplated.

W1th these and other objectsand advantages in view, the inventionresides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed and shown in the draw ing in which:

Figure 1 represents the frontelevational view of my improved combined collapsible wardrobe and dresser in set-up position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the parts in collapsed position.

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line l4c of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail rear elevational view of one lower corner of the invention, and

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view in setup position of a modification of my invention.

The embodiment illustrated on Sheet 1 consists of a dresser section A and a wardrobe or cabinet section B the latter portion of this article of furniture being so constructed and connected with the other part that it may be readily collapsed to occupy much less space than when in normal setup position. The dresser section in the present form of the invention merely consists of a vertically arranged series of drawers 1 slidable between inner and outer side walls 2 and 3 respectively and top and bottom closure members 4:. The rear of the dresser section is closed by a back 5 while the front is open and the outer sides of the drawers 1 are spaced inwardly slightly from the adjacent front edges of the side walls 2 and 3 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4:.

The inner wall 2 of the dresser section forms one wall of the wardrobe section, the other side wall 6 thereof being arranged to be moved toward and away from the same. The top and bottom of the wardrobe section is each constructed of a collapsible closure 7 which is broken in its center to fold inwardlyas indicated in Fig. 3. The outer edges of the closures are )ivotedto hinge strips 8 secured to the walls 2 and 6.

Each of the closures 7 is retained in extended or set-up position by means of a swinging bar 9 movable beneath retaining finger-s 10. It'will be noted that the swinging bars extend across the center breaks in the closure thus holding the two parts thereof in rigid alinement.

The rear of the cabinet or wardrobe section is closed by a pair of door members 12, one being pivoted to the rear edge portion of each of the walls 2 and 6 and are adapted to swing inwardly into close engagement with the latter when the article is collapsed. They are retained against excessive outward movement by shouldered retaining strips 11, one of which is carried by each portion of thecollapsible top and bottom closures T and extend from the inner edges of such. portions to a. point adjacent the pivoted connection between the latter and the hinge strips 8. In other words there is a space between the outer end of each of the retaining strips 11 and the adjacent side wall a distance equal to the width of the hinge strips 8. These spaces are closed by portions 12 of the rear doors 12, the adjacent to) and bottom edges of the latter being shou dered as at 13 to engage the shouldered retaining strips. The inner adjacent edges of these rear doors are also shouldered to form an overlapping connection as at 14 whereby an extremely tight and rigid structure is formed.

The front of the combined dresser and wardrobe is closed by means of a pair of swinging front doors 15, one of which is hinged to the front edge of the wall 3 and the other is similarly connected to the corresponding edge of the wall 6. These doors may be swung inwardly to completely close the entrance to the dresser section and also to the wardrobe part or to lie against the walls 3 and 6 as best seen in Fig. 3. When the structure is in set-up position and the doors 15 are closed as in Figs. 1 and 2 it will be obvious that access to the drawers 1 isimpossible.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be obvious to anyone that in order to collapse the structure from the setup position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, it is simply necessary to unlock the rear and front doors 12 and 15, swinging the former inwardly and the latter outwardly, release the swinging bars 9 from beneath their retaining fingers 10, and then press the top and bottom closures inwardly so as to draw the wall 6 toward the cooperating wall 2. This arranges the several parts of the article as depicted in Figs. 8 and 4:. It will be obvious', however, that the door 15 which is hinged to the wall 3 may either be swung outwardly and engaged with the outer surface of said wall or allowed to'remain in its ordinary closed position to cover the entrance to the dresser section A. In setting up the article of furniture the movement of the several parts are reversed as is evident.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6 the collapsing and-setting up of thecombined wardrobe and dresser is sub stantially identical with the similar opera tions of the above described form. In this modification the dresser section is designated by the character A and the wardrobe section by B, the latter having its front closed by a door 15. This door is hinged to the outer wall 6' of the wardrobe section and extends only to the inner wall 2 thereof. In other words the front of the dresser section A is not covered by one portion of the wardrobe door as in the enibodiment depicted in Figs. 1 to 5.

Across the top and bottom of this combined article of furniture I dispose finishing or trim strip portions 25 and 2G for an obvious purpose. Each of the portions is split into two parts as at 27 so that the part thereof over the wardrobe section may be carried by the door 15. In some instances the parts of this trim over thewardrobe section may be made as integral with the door as shown in the illustration.

It is believed that it will be evident to the average person as well as those skilled in the art, that a very simply constructed and improved structure has been devised and one which can be relatively inexpensively manufactured and marketed. Various other changes may be made in the form and proportion and in the arrangement of the several parts of the invention without departing from or sacrificing any of the principles thereof.

rihat is claimed is:

A collapsible article of furniture comprising a casing for a vertically arranged series of drawers, one side of said casing forming one side wall of a cabinet, a second side wall for said cabinet, top and bottom closure members connected with the tops and hottoms of said side wall and fold-able inwardly therebetween, a pair of rear doors for the cabinet each hinged to a rear portion of one of the said side walls and foldable inwardly, said doors being of lesser width than the width of said side walls and a pair of front doors for the cabinet, one of said front doors being hinged to the forward edge of the outer side wall of the cabinet, the other door being hinged to the forward edge of the outer side of the drawer casing and adapted to extend across the front of the drawer casing and across a minor portion of the front of the cabinet, said front doors meeting on the center line of the combined structure and being foldable against the outer sides of the casing and cabinet respectively.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,

JOHN J ELENC. 

